Gemini
by HolyWinter
Summary: This isn't a love at first sight story, oh no. This a story about accepting deafeat, nomatter what. A story about realizing that some things are more important than the perfect girl.


Gemini  
  
Fred and George Weasley: Twins, best friends, buisiness partners. Nothing could get between them. Or so they thought. It's funnt how a pretty face and long legs can come between friends and family. This isn't a love at first sight story, oh no. This a story about accepting deafeat, nomatter what. A story about realizing that some things are more important than the perfect girl. The pretty face and long legs I mentioned earlier? Well they walked into Weasley Wizard Wheezes accompanied by a sweet smile and a love of fun and jokes.  
  
Fred and George had been doing inventory on Sneezing Secrets, gum that would make one sneeze out a number of surprises from their nostrils. Although their had been some complaints of a Blast-Ended Skrewt emerging from one costumer. Thus, a warning had been made : Weasley Wizard Wheezes is not responsible for any unwanted creatures, muggle artifacts and/or any other unwanted item emerging from buyer's nostrils. Even with this somewhat ominous warning, they were selling like crazy. Almost more than the Skiving Snackboxes.  
  
"Excuse me, I was wondering if you had your inventory of Stinksap Bubblegum restocked yet?" Asked a beautiful to George as he finished with the Sneezing Secrets to man the counter. George thought she was rather beautiful, but she wasn't the first pretty girl to come in here. Therefore, he ignored this little factor and continued on with buisiness without any staring or stuttering.   
  
"Actually, yes, they're in the back. I don't understand how they're selling so well, but everything seems to be selling well now that we're more well-known." George called to Fred, who was in the back room with all the newly arrived inventory. Fred immediately came out carrying a box full of what looked like ordinary pink bubblegum. Zoe's face lit up.  
  
"Great! We really needed those! I'll take 500." Fred gawked. He checked the outside of the box. 500 was all they had ordered for that month. He frowned slightly, handing the box to her. As George tallyed up the price, Fred was rather curious.  
  
"Why do you need so many?" He asked, eyeing the woman carefully.  
  
"My father owns a boarding house. We always put bubblegum on the pillows on the evenings and letely we've used this gum to remind our tenants who're late on rent to pay up. It's worked really well so far." She grinned, showing straight pearly teeth. Her father's boarding house was abviously doing very well. As she has the looks of a pampered, rich little bon-bon.  
  
And she was.  
  
"50 Galleons..." George concluded.  
  
"That's all?" Oh yea, Zoe was rich. She reached into her purse and extracted a small bag marked with a number on it. She handed it to George. He smiled at the woman's oblivious wealth. She smiled back and waved a goodbye to them, taking her perfect little body and her rather large purchase out of their store. George caught himself staring at her rear end, hey, he was a man, after all.  
  
After the incident with Zoe, things went on as usual. As Hogsmeade weekend for Hogwarts came, Fred and George almost salivated at the money they were going to make. Their biggest buisiness thus far has been Hogwarts students. Students always loved playing pranks on eachother and getting out of class. These were the parts of their beloved school that Fred and George missed so much. The rest of the time remaining from then and Hogsmeade weekend passed rather noneventful, and Fred and George found themselves on the glorious day at last.   
  
They hurried from their small shared apartment in London to their store. There actually was no need to hurry, as they were excellent apparators (having recieved an O.W.L each on the subject) but they were so excited to get to their store and see the cheerful faces of former classmates.  
  
As they apparated into the backroom, George stayed behind, this time taking turn in inventory (as well as profits) and Fred manned the front counter. Fred walked over to the door to see that they had arrived just in time. Their were student eagerlt gathering in the town, some walking into the Three Broomsticks and others going to the frilly little tea shop down the street. Yet the twins' own faithful costumers came, as Fred knew they would, and he opened the door to them, grinning as they looked at all the joke items, old and new.  
  
He stood behind the counter and was taking purchases as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked in. They were, of course, dressed in normal clothes for the occasion, and Fred noticed (quite on accident) that Ginny had, well, matured. He fretted at the kind boys her black motif for clothing would attract, however. Speaking, of course, of Slytherin boys. He grinned and waved his hand as well as the love life of his sister out of his mind.  
  
Ginny and Hermione walked up to the register, leaving Ron and Harry to look through the new arrivals.   
  
"So, I'm guessing buisiness is booming?" Ginny asked, noting the managerie of costumers flocking around and in the shop. Fred grinned the classic Weasley grin, affirming Ginny's belief. Hermione frowned at some of the products. She picked up a Skiving Snackbox and her frown grew deeper.  
  
"Y'know, alot of kids are using these, they're getting in trouble because of you two..." Hermione said in thnat same motherly tone she had always used. Apparently being prefect in her fifth year had made her even more so, making her strive for the Head Girl title as well. Ron was a prefect as well, yet Head Boy was the last thing he had ever set his sights on. In stead, as his ability got better, wanted to follow Harry and attempt to be a proffesional Quidditch player.  
  
Ron was heard whistling and some of the boys' heads turned, Ginny and Hermionme rolled their eyes. Zoe had walked in again, Fred greeted her with a friendly smile and a wave as she strode up to the counter. Zoe smiled back.  
  
"Hi again, err...what was your name again?" Fred asked, slightly embarassed. Zoe giggled.  
  
"I never told you my name, but it's Zoe Jane Whiskitch."  
  
"Zoe Jane? That's a cute name." Fred said amiably.  
  
"Just call me Zoe, I always hated it when people used both my names, it makes me feel so young." She smiled.  
  
  
  
"Heh. So why are you back? Need more Stinksap Bubblegum? If so, we're all out, sorry."  
  
"No no, actually, I was on my way to lunch and was wondering if you'd want to join me?" She asked, but had to wait for her answer. The kids that had first entered the shop had made their choices, running to the counter like a herd. Fred took their purchases, which took quite awhile, about 20 minutes. Zoe, meanwhile had found her way behind the counter with Fred, and stood there, amused by the eager faces buying Exploding Socks, Sneezing Secrets and, the ever popular Skiving Snackboxes.  
  
When they had all finished with this store, they moved on, going to various pubs and tea houses, ready for lunch. Zoe's smile never left as she watched the innocent little children. Reminded her of the children she would've had if-  
  
"So, what were you saying?" Fred interrupted Zoe's rather melancholy thought, not that she minded.  
  
"Oh! Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go to lunch with me?" She asked.  
  
"Just a minute, I have to check with my partner." He winked as he stepped into the back room.  
  
"George, is it okay if I take off for a date?" He asked, bending over his twin as he marked down a bit of Tippy Toothpaste, toothpast that made one feel drunk. The sale for it had been, to say the least, dissapointing. He looked up to Fred.  
  
"A date? Haven't had one of those in a while, have you?" He said teasingly. For some reason, George always seemed to get more dates than his brother, it was rather amusing and slighty irritating to Fred.  
  
"Yea, well...yea." He said simply, not in the mood to start even a playful fight. He say George nod into the box and both twins stood up. George stayed behind the counter as Fred walked out with Zoe. Ginny giggled, never having really seen her brother on a date before. Hermione nodded sagely, as if she had ordered Fred to do so, and Harry and Ron just grinned. Fred had caught himself a hot and (by the looks of it) rich one.  
  
Fred allowed Zoe to walk in front of him as he gave a final wave back to his family/friends and turned around to see his favorite sight thus far: Zoe's rear. He was still a man to appreciate it, yet still immature enough to look. Zoe turned around.  
  
"I shudder to think what exactly you were staring at." She said, curtly. Fred blushed and hurried ahead to walk next to her.  
  
They walked into the restaurant with an uncomfortable silence lingering around them. It had started, of course, when Zoe had caught him staring at her rear. They sat down at a table, Zoe ordered a Ceasar Salad while Fred ordered a Cheeseburger. He always loved American food. As he and Zoe sat, the silence preceeded to grow heavier and heavier. Fred was about to break the silence, but Zoe beat him to it.  
  
"So...what's it like...being a twin?" She quirked her eyebrow. Fred sighed, he always hated when people asked that question.  
  
"Hard." He said simply.  
  
"Hard? But you and your brother seemed to get along so well."  
  
"Well...it's not easy looking at a mirror everyday. Everyone always thinking you're both the same person, so what's the difference? Not really caring that there're two separate people in a set of twins..." He shook his head. Sometimes he really hated being a twin. He would never hate his brother, of course not. But he hated the fact that they were twins. Zoe was looking at Fred with an odd expression on her face.  
  
"Would ever...want your twin to go away? Forever?" She asked. Fred was somewhat shocked.  
  
"What?" He asked, not really sure if he heard right. Zoe didn't explain, however, as their food had arrived. They ate and talked about many things. Yet the subject of Zoe's strange question was never brought up again. Fred was kind of relieved.  
  
As their dinner was polished off and Fred and Zoe started talking (life, family, basic things to be talked about on a date) the sky started growing dimmer. The once crystal blue turned into dazzling hues of orange, gold and pink. Zoe suddenly jumped up.  
  
"Let's watch the sunset!" She exclaimed, throwing money and a tip on their table and grabbing Fred's hand. They both ran out to the street, watching the beauty. Zoe's eyes lit up, Fred smiled. His date was rather cute in a childish way. Yet, as Fred watched the sunset as well, he realized that Zoe had some rather...feminine sides to her. As the last glints of light from the sun slid into the landscape, Zoe grabbed Fred's cheeks.  
  
Surprised, he turned his head sharply to face her. Zoe pulled his down a bit to reach her level and placed her lips on his. Descreetly slipping in her tongue as Fred closed his eyes and held her. Fred had kissed girl before, sure, but he'd never kissed, well, a woman before. They parted as the sun was finally engulfed in the black of night. Fred smiled teasingly.  
  
"I thought you weren't supposed to kiss on a first date?" Zoe laughed and bit his nose playfully.  
  
"I'm aloud to make mistake, aren't I?" She asked, mock-defensively. Fred grinned and released her.  
  
"Can I escort you back home, m'lady?" He asked, taking on a tone of importance that made Zoe laugh.  
  
"Er-no, that's okay. You better go back to your brother, I'm sure he misses you. Twins always miss eachother wheh the other's gone." A look of sadness briefly passed her beautiful features before she waved happily and turned around, walking back to her father and his boarding house.  
  
Fred stared confusingly at her retreating figure. Zoe was weird in her own way. But it wasn't a good kind of weird. It was the secret, mysterious kind that resembled repressed memories or lost hope. He shook his head, he wasn't an author! He wasn't going to get all poetic now! He smiled faintly and walked back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He looked forward to seeing George, ready to tell him all the details about his date. Especially the kiss.  
  
As Fred relayed the events of that night to his brother as they locked up the store and jinxed it from robbers, he left out the parts about Zoe's mysterious seeming twin complex.  
  
"Ah, well, seems like you had a fun time. I'm glad, I guess you're not gay after all." George said as they walked into their separate rooms in their apartment. Fred glared at him. "I'm kidding! Geez, touchy, so are you going out with her again?" He asked, quickly changing the subject. A fight with Fred was the last thing he wanted.  
  
"I don't know...if she comes by the store again...and asks." He shrugged. George looked at him strangely.  
  
"Didn't you get her number?" He asked. Fred thought for a moment, then shook his head smootly.  
  
"Nah, it's not that important." He said, as he emerged into his room and shut the door. He climbed over to his bed in the dark, not wanting to bother with the light (even though he could use magic to turn it off) and snuggled under the covers. He didn't think of Zoe for the rest of the night, having instead dreams of Weasley Wizard Wheezes going worldwide, making it the most popular joke store in the wizarding community.  
  
Ah yes, wonderful dreams. Telling one and primising on things they could never have. Some people would rather live in their dreams. At least, one person would. A witch tossed in her sleep, sweating and pushing her covers aside.  
  
"Caroline...Caro...line..." Zoe said weakly. She was scared of a past gone wrong. Even though she was the one that had made it wrong. What was it? What could this beautiful woman possibly have to hide?  
  
TBC  
  
a/n: how'd you like it? ^^ I am very proud of it! **gleems** Ah, so, you want another chapter? Or am I wrong and does my story suck? Review and tell me!!! (\(\  
  
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REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
luv:Momiji no Usagi ~_^ 


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